Validating the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales-2: Preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders.
The Portuguese PKBS-2 cleanly separates preschoolers with ASD from typical peers on social skills and behavior problems, making it a quick dual-informant screening option.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Major et al. (2017) tested the Portuguese PKBS-2 on preschoolers with autism and typical peers.
Teachers and parents filled out the 76-item scale. The team compared the two groups' scores.
What they found
Kids with autism scored much lower on social skills and much higher on problem behavior.
The scale cleanly split the two groups, showing it works as a quick screener in Portuguese.
How this fits with other research
Wang et al. (2011) already showed the English PKBS is reliable, but warned it may miss small gains after teaching. Sofia's team kept the same two-informant format and adds proof it still separates groups in Portuguese.
Zigman et al. (1997) used the English PKBS to spot kids with broad developmental delays. Sofia narrows the lens to autism and finds the same clear split, updating the tool for today's referrals.
Rogers et al. (2017) and Emerson et al. (2013) both back the SRS family for preschoolers. Their papers and Sofia's now give you two validated choices: PKBS-2 for fast dual-informant screening or SRS for trait depth.
Why it matters
If you serve Portuguese-speaking families, you now have a 10-minute parent-and-teacher scale that flags autism risk with clear cut-offs. Use it during intake to decide who needs fuller assessment. For English families, lean on the same tool knowing it has cross-language proof.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Social skills deficits and some behavior problems are a well-established issue in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, most of the studies available analyze social skills or behavior problems of children with ASD, but not both. The present study intends to compare the social skills and behavior problems of 32 preschoolers with ASD paired with 32 typically developing preschoolers, as evidence of validity of the Portuguese version of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales - Second Edition (PKBS-2). Each child was rated independently by parents and teachers. Results showed a statistically significant difference in all PKBS-2 scores between the two groups, with the children with ASD rated with fewer social skills and more behavior problems by both informants. The discriminant analysis highlighted the three Social Skills, the Over-Activity/Lack of Attention and Social Withdrawal subscales as more accurate in differentiating between the two groups. The implications of using a single behavior rating scale that can be filled in by different informants (parents and teachers) to assess positive and negative behaviors are emphasized. Furthermore, the usefulness of the PKBS-2 as a screening assessment tool that could be used in clinical practice and intervention with preschoolers with ASD is discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.04.008